Articles Posted inSt. Louis Stealing / Theft Charges

No, it does not have to ruin your life at all!! A good St Louis stealing or theft attorney can help you deal with the charge so that it does minimal damage. But the last thing you want to do is plead guilty! If you plead guilty, then there isn’t a whole you can do about it later on. Below is a brief description about what we can do to help you out:

If you have been accused of stealing something with a value of $500 or less, then the state of Missouri can charge you with a Class A Misdemeanor. This type of charge comes with up to one (1) full year of jail time, and a $1,000 fine. And of course pleading guilty will also mean that the charge will become a part of your permanent record. So anytime you fill out a job application, or try to rent an apartment, or take out a student loan, then it will very likely be brought up (because the potential employer, or landlord, or government agency will almost assuredly run a criminal background check on you).

It depends on a number of factors. For instance: Is it your first offense? Were there multiple citations issued by the police officer? Where were you when the crime was allegedly committed? Several factors play into whether or not the misdemeanor charge can be taken care of.

But let’s assume that this is your first offense. And let’s further assume that the charge is for theft / stealing in St. Louis (in which the alleged amount stolen has a value of less than $500). This is described as a Class A Misdemeanor (which can come with up to one (1) year of jail time, and a $1,000 fine). If you do nothing with this charge (for instance, if you do not hire an attorney, or even show up on the court date, then a bench warrant will be issued for your arrest, and that’s not something you want to happen (but if it does, we can take care of that as well).

Absolutely. There are plenty of options available. And your instincts are right on wanting to protect your child. Because he or she were to simply plead guilty, it could have a devastating effect on their immediate future.

Being charged with stealing and/or theft in St. Louis is not a minor affair. But for whatever reason, a lot of people either think that it’s not that big of a deal (as if it won’t have any negative effect on them in the future), or that there isn’t anything they can do about it anyway (as if they do not have any options whatsoever). But the exact opposite is true. Let’s take a look at some reasons why: